Upcoming event

Witness

The Honorable Gina M. Raimondo
Secretary, Department of Commerce

As Congress and the states attempt to address a long list of real or perceived online problems, lawmakers' proposals often encounter the same roadblock: The First Amendment. Whether attempting to regulate social media platforms' content moderation or increase children's online safety and privacy, the government cannot dictate individuals' speech or companies' editorial decisions.

Congress has established programs to increase broadband access through the Universal Service Fund, including the Lifeline and the High-Cost programs. More recently, Congress established the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) and the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program to further improve broadband access and affordability. The Affordable Connectivity Program, which currently helps more than 23 million households connect to affordable broadband, will expire in May without congressional action.

Witness

Andrew Witty, CEO, UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

In March 2023, the Office of the National Cyber Director at the White House released the first National Cybersecurity Strategy, the first comprehensive vision for how to safeguard cyberspace for all Americans. After one year of implementing the strategy, among a backdrop of issues like data privacy, generative AI, and critical infrastructure security that make citizens’ digital lives more complex, what have we achieved in the first year of the strategy, and what can we do to continue the momentum?

Conversations about the safety of youth online are dominating headlines and dinner table discussions. U.S. lawmakers’ concerns about the negative impacts of unfettered access to online content and social media on young people’s mental health and safety have led to a flurry of legislative activity. In 2023, more than 60 bills were introduced at the state and federal level requiring greater parental consent, age restrictions, and/or safety-by-design measures online. One popular approach to protecting kids—mandating age verification—is poorly understood and may pose more risks than benefits.

NTIA has recently announced significant progress to remove permitting barriers to broadband deployments funded by Internet for All initiatives. The “Permitting and Environmental Information Application” is a publicly available GIS-based tool that NTIA developed to assist industry with early identification of permit requirements and NEPA considerations. NTIA will demo the application and highlight other recent developments supporting efficient broadband permitting.

Jill Springer

Senior Policy Advisor for Permitting

Chief Environmental Review and Permitting Officer

Cybersecurity is top of mind for regulators and tech companies as cyberattacks are on the rise with hackers harvesting sensitive data, attacking digital supply chains and using AI to curate advanced threats. At the same time, small and medium-sized businesses often find themselves unprepared to fend off major cybersecurity threats, putting entire systems at risk.

Conversations with policy and industry leaders about efforts in the public and private sectors to bridge the digital divide.

Speakers

Jessica Rosenworcel

Chair, Federal Communications Commission

Nicol Turner Lee 

Director, Center for Technology Innovation, Brookings Institution

Aneesh Chopra

President, CareJourney

A hearing to consider legislation and presidential nominations including: